Truck driver caught allegedly stealing goods

EDWARDSVILLE — A truck driver was arrested and charged with felony theft after he allegedly took more than $5,500 worth of goods from his employer.

Dana L. Howard, 53, of Woodlawn, was charged Monday after a police officer spotted an unoccupied tractor-trailer truck off to the side of Buchta Road in Bethalto.

The officer stopped because the area is known as a place for illegal dumping, but he saw Howard near the truck, dropping a DeWalt work-site radio in a box. The off-duty officer claims Howard appeared nervous, so he called Bethalto Police Department.

Officers from Bethalto responded and discovered three more boxes with similar radios on the ground, near the trailer. The driver worked for USF Holland, a transport company based in Edwardsville.

An official of the Holland company came to the scene and discovered there were several items in the truck that were not on the truck manifest.

Howard allegedly told a police officer that he intended to take only one of the radios but not the other $5,500 worth of property.

A court document filed in a request for a search warrant states Howard was in possession of a cell phone. Police are asking for a search warrant for the phone. Howard’s bail was set at $30,000.